Skills academy tackling shortage opens in Hartlepool
The Civil Engineering Skills Academy – Hartlepool is a partnership between Seymour Civil Engineering, Hartlepool College of Further Education, and Hartlepool Borough Council.
This initiative aims to tackle the industry’s skills shortage by offering both practical and classroom-based learning on an 11-acre site off Brenda Road.
Over the next year, the academy plans to train up to 1,200 people in various disciplines, including plant and machinery, health and safety, rail, groundworks, and street works.
The project received financial backing of £2.25 million from the £25 million Hartlepool Town Deal.
The Brenda Road site was officially opened on March 13 by Sue Snowdon, Lord-Lieutenant of County Durham, who said: “This is a visionary project which is going to have such a huge impact on the lives of so many people by giving them the skills they need for successful careers in civil engineering and construction.”
Councillor Pamela Hargreaves, chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Economic Growth and Regeneration Committee, said: “The academy is a fantastic development for Hartlepool and it demonstrates how we are delivering on our ambitious development plans for the borough.
“By creating a skilled workforce in this way, we also want to send out a message to companies looking to invest that Hartlepool is open for business.”
The new academy has been helping to meet the skills demand.
According to the latest Construction Skills Network (CSN) report for 2024-2028, the North-East construction sector needs to recruit an additional 6,850 workers by 2028, which is about 1,370 new workers each year.
Since opening its doors in 2020, the academy’s Gateway to Construction training programme has helped more than 830 learners secure employment.
Adam Harker, managing director of Seymour Civil Engineering, said: “Through the Hartlepool Town Deal, we have reclaimed and improved 5,000 square metres of construction training land and purchased a new purpose-built modular building containing classrooms, offices, and learner welfare facilities which is at the heart of the academy.”
He added: “Our partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council and Hartlepool College of Further Education, along with significant Town Deal investment, is a proactive and collaborative step in creating a new centre of excellence and working towards reshaping our industry’s future.”
The academy is seen as an essential resource for preparing local people for emerging opportunities in the region.
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Darren Hankey, chair of the Hartlepool Town Deal Board and principal of Hartlepool College of Further Education, said: “I am absolutely delighted to see this important project come to fruition.
“There are some huge opportunities being created across the Tees Valley, including in key emerging sectors such as net zero, and it is important that local people are equipped to make the most of them.
“The academy has a vital role to play in ensuring that is the case.”
